Where's the best deal on #4895?

[TooTaxed]

I'm interested in the lowest cost, including shipping...4 or 8-lb cans are fine. Over the years, having tried a lot of powders, I've pretty well standardized on #4895 for everything between and including 5.56 NATO to .30-06. An oldie but goodie...

All right, as reasonably priced #4895 appears to be rather scarce, I will consider equivalents! As a guide, I'm currently loading 5.56 NATO, 6.5 Jap, 6.5 x 55 Mauser, 7.7 Jap, .308 Win, .30-06, (plus .45-70) all for range use to 500-yd. I don't load hot ammo...I've found it generally to be less accurate than moderate loads.

 

[ocabj]

You're probably going to end up paying $140 or so after shipping and hazmat on powder. The only way to really cut costs is to get it from a distributor and most distributors will only sell to retailers only. A very few distributors will honor C&R FFLs. Once place that I know of is Black Hills Shooter's Supply. But even then, you still need to order a minimum amount of powder to get the best possible price. My BHSS catalog states 40 lbs minimum for the best pricing tier (mix and matching allowed).

 

[griz]

www.powdervallyinc.com

I can't find the other useful link right now.

 

[calpoly93]

4895.

GIBrass.com had some IMR4895 for $100 if memory serves me. If you buy a certain amount, he pays the hazmat. I don't recal if it is 4 or 6 jugs. I went in with 3 guys and bought 6 jugs of assorted powder that way.
You might check out his website...

 

[ClarkEMyers]

Needs an e in vallEy

http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/

Works for me but I try to buy on site when I'm in Winfield.

 

[milanuk]

IIRC, Powder Valley will waive the Hazmat fee on orders over 32# of powder, i.e. 4 jugs. See if you can get a buddy or two to go in on it with you; shouldn't be too hard to find someone who needs an 8-pounder of Varget or something... For me, in Washington state, even on just two 8# jugs (one Varget, one AA2230C) w/ hazmat and shipping was about $15/jug cheaper than it would have been buying it here, btwn paying the local dealers markup and state sales tax. If I'd been able to get some other people to go in on it w/ me and skip the hazmat fee it would have cut the price per jug about another $5 or so... it adds up fast!

Monte

 

[steve4102]

http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/

 

[Rockstar]

I recently received my Black Hills Shooters Supply cat. Here's something that's baffling to me: They are wholesale only, so you'd expect great prices. They advertise that their pricing includes shipping and hazmat, so a comparison of their prices with that of their competitors should show comparable deals.

However, when I look up 8# of powder "X" at Graf's, it's $97; 5k primers @ Graf's are around $65 or so. Black Hills' price for the same powder/primers is $134 and $90, respectively. The BHSS prices, of course, include shipping and hazmat, Graf's don't. However, with Graf's I only pay one $20 hazmat fee for a shipment of a couple of 8# jugs of powder and 5k primers. With BHSS, it appears that they charge their grossly-inflated price, with no consideration that there should be only one hazmat charge per package.

In other words, if I buy two 8# jugs of the "X" powder @ $134, I still have to pay $134 per jug. Add 5000 primers, and I've paid three hazmats!

 

[moredes]

Jeff Bartlett sells 8-pounders for $80 each, but I think there's an additional $20 you'll have to kick in for HAZMAT plus shipping. Buy 6 jugs for the one fee.

 

[TooTaxed]

Checked for surplus powder sellers in Shotgun News' Reloading Component section. Called Widener's (www.wideners.com) to order their $79 8-lb keg of #4895, but they are temporarily sold out, expecting more the end of July. Ordered an 8-lb keg from Jeff Bartlet (www.gibrass.com), which with a $20 hazmat fee and shipping will cost about $108, or $13.50/lb. Certainly beats the $20/lb (incl tax) I paid for my last can!

Jeff does have a good selection of surplus powder, but the IMR 4895 is fine for my .223 NATO through .30-06 handloading.

Thanks for your posts!